Xau-Tak: God of the Horrors

Hi guys, interesting thing I'd like to share that I noticed in ED3! Has anyone else noticed the three Obsidian Tribunal Witches in The Shadow Reef each have a unique feature matching the Mwanu Priestesses mentioned in the Blasphemous Journal?

Eye of Cythan: The third priestess, having "one enormous eye"Maw of Kolthregar: The second priestess, having "a horrific gaping maw"Hand of Dagnath: the first priestess, having "monstrous writhing tentacles"

The Mwanu deities mentioned in the Pestilent journal do seem to also share some of these features, like the eye of Yogsathla, but not quite the others. I wonder what this means to the Tribunal's connection to Xau-Tak?

SeasMastersaid: Hi guys, interesting thing I'd like to share that I noticed in ED3! Has anyone else noticed the three Obsidian Tribunal Witches in The Shadow Reef each have a unique feature matching the Mwanu Priestesses mentioned in the Blasphemous Journal?

Eye of Cythan: The third priestess, having "one enormous eye"Maw of Kolthregar: The second priestess, having "a horrific gaping maw"Hand of Dagnath: the first priestess, having "monstrous writhing tentacles"

The Mwanu deities mentioned in the Pestilent journal do seem to also share some of these features, like the eye of Yogsathla, but not quite the others. I wonder what this means to the Tribunal's connection to Xau-Tak?

My guess is that the Obsidian Tribunal are the 3 priestests of Xau-Tak but they may not necessarily also be the 3 demi-gods mentioned as part of the mwanu religion that had xau as the center piece. I find it very odd and interesting that Zaros knows so much about them and the threat they pose yet has told the world guardian nothing. Remember Big Z sent Nex to save Saradomins daughter from the Tribunal. Also interesting how using shadow tendrils on Kranon makes him laugh and say that Xau is aware of such magicks but his tendrils go far deeper.One other assumption, Kranon was never Xau-Tak's right hand man. He is just a p(r)awn in a much bigger game. The Tribunal and the demi gods Yogsathla, UvHustar are much much closer to the monster itself.I have seen the dark universe yawning, where the black planets roll without aim;
Where they roll in their horror unheeded, without knowledge or lustre or name.

Winterwynsaid: Ambi has two lines I found particularly interesting, if you consider them canon:

"There is an absence of god that has learned how to hate."

"There is a cosmic abortion which swims in the oceans of the dead."

It sounds to me like Xau-Tak is a failed or undead god of some kind, maybe even an elder god, but not truly a god as we understand the term.

Zaros line about the sixth elder being of something else is tying more and more to Xau. Plus all the other clues ED3 gave us that Zaros knows wayyyy more about Xau-Tak than he's lead us to believe.I have seen the dark universe yawning, where the black planets roll without aim;
Where they roll in their horror unheeded, without knowledge or lustre or name.

I get a Old God/Twilight's Hammer-esque impression of Xau-Tak and his servants at the moment, but of course that doesn't address his nature or his origins. Xau-Tak could be the manifestation of the very phenomenon of decay (or something similar). He could be a relative of the Elder Gods in some way - though hopefully not in a "one cannot exist without the other" type of duality!

In short, there are many interpretations, and at this stage a large number of them are equally likely to be right. Personally, I like to think he predates the Elder Gods (I remember reading somewhere that the Elder Gods are not themselves the eldest) as the manifestation of something far more primordial.

Just some stray thoughts. I don't know if they have been recorded elsewhere.

I am convinced Xau-Tak is an Elder God. In the first livestream showing off the Temple of Aminishi, one of the developers stated the storyline is not about "Gielinor's elder gods."

The words "Xau" and "Tak" are both single-syllable three letter names, in line with the other elder god names. Perhaps Xau-Tak is some kind of fusion of two elder gods. We know that elder gods lay eggs and die when they hatch, but perhaps Xau didn't let go when Tak hatched (or vice versa). Azzanadra's dialogue implies Wen might be going through a similar thing because she is known to be in two locations.

Xau-Tak also appears to exist outside of time and can break the fourth wall, which are powerful traits we haven't seen from any of the younger gods. Kranon's journal implies Xau-Tak had a presence in the previous revision, making him older than any of the known younger gods.

Xau-Tak's association with oceans is also in line with the elder gods' associations with geography, like Jas with deserts, Wen with ice, Ful with volcanoes, etc.

Sound and music seems to be important to the elder gods, as well as Xau-Tak. We saw a glimpse of the "Elder Choir" in Sliske's Endgame. Black Stone is known to sing, and can be activated by the "dissonance chorus," as mentioned in the Redacted Dragonkin Research.

The notes also mention that black stone can cancel anima, so maybe Xau-Tak is some kind of "anti-elder god" who feeds off of the black stone instead of anima. Perhaps this is related to how the known elder gods are female, whilst Xau-Tak is male.

The Obsidian Tribunal seems to be related to Xau-Tak, as we saw in the Shadow Reef. Obsidian is a black stone.

I don't think Xau-Tak is Mur, the bloated parasite of Renmark. I think Mur is another dead elder god.

Always three letters long except potentially for Xau-Tak which obviously 2 words each three letters long. it makes me wonder if the word "Tak" has some kind of specific meaning in some sort of Elder God "language" that explains that something happened to Xau to cause him to be named Xau-Tak in the next cycle.

Or I'm talking complete nonsense."The greatest endeavors are achieved because of their selfless intent"

Yeah can't really take this deity very seriously due to the piracy ventures being overly humoured over but isn't that how it occurs in that movie sequel in Real Realm? The one with Jack Swallows or who was it, you get the humorous point, where also is timid humour inbetween!

Ohh lawlcakes aboveposter generated a vast asideplot in my mindset, that being that if Xau-Tak is an Elder, maybe Tak was one too, but Xau ate them? Ohh~